Tony57

Hi Not a bad idea that, it could be adapted for the play trains series as well as a starter for Hornby OO and TT scales, 3 birds with one concept.

The trouble with world trade is the increasing costs the cost of raw materials and electronic components, the cost of made in China has gone up, the cost of hire cost of the shipping containers have gone up, the cost of shipping it half way around the world has gone up, the exchange rate at the time the pound was down, whist we all may hate the price all the above has to be paid for by us.

The grey one is R164 and is named Iron Horse.

Hi What style of funnel is it? You could message the guy who sells the Davy Crockett spares and ask him would it be possible to make you a pair of each (may need a photo to show what they are like. I have enquired about the Davy Crockett head lamp. Urbandancer and Triang buyer are two others I am following as well as Vindaloo all are making spare parts for Triang. Hornby are missing a market here, they could 3D print peoples spares requirements for any Hornby items made from 2000 here in the UK.

I have not got the ability to do 3D printing, I wish I had as I have a number of things I would like to make. However I am glad that people who 3D print are now making new spare parts for the old Triang and Triang Hornby locos and rolling stock. I have brought parts for a Davy Crockett body and the railings for the old time coach. I have just brought the ladders and Tank lid for the old R15 UD tanker and some L1 containers for the R340 conflat container carriers. The same person makes Battlespace spares and Transcontinental spares. I have also just brought some Minic motorway lorry parts for both the flat bed and tanker as my originals have warped over time. I had brought the Shell sign, street lights and pumps for the Minic Motorway Shell filling station x2 which look great. It is surprising what is available to add to your layout from people who do 3D printing.

Hi 81F The HD N2 has a vertical motor chassis block like the Duchess. Wrenn used a modified R1 chassis with a rear bogie attached with some small modification to the loco body. Thanks for the heads up on the bogie being different you may have saved me some cash. Give me a few days as I have ordered both HD couplings and coupling rivets so I will try to fit a HD coupling to my N2 without a rear coupling, the previous owner had cut off the plate that held the tension lock coupling in place so I would have to try and find a new rear bogie in any case. I will let you know how it went.

Hi With regards to using a rivet what type of coupling are you thinking of using metal or plastic? As there are at least 3 maybe four rivets available, 2 are shouldered for plastic and are of two different lengths, the orther/s are the same only shouldered for the metal couplings . Have a look at the Wrenngalore shop or cymull_76 both sell HD /Wrenn bits

Hi 81F I have the same issue in regards to a N2. One option I am looking at is getting a HD N2 rear bogie unit with it HD coupling. I need to look at my N2s to see what can be done

Hi I had a long look at HD 2 rail last night on ebay, and almost brought two locos to add to my Wrenn collection, all they need is a Triang tender with tension lock couplings or a Wrenn one. However as I asked to look at HD 2 rail only a surprising amount of three rail was shown as well as several New Hornby Dublo, some adds were worrying as the ads said for 2/3 rail, ok they were unboxed stock but were they 2 rail which can be run on 3 rail or 3 rail which can not be run to 2 rail (unless wheels have been changed to insulated ones).

Hi Gary. I would join the Hornby Railway Collectors Association. I am personally a member of the Wrenn Collectors Club as I have a collection of Wrenn rolling stock which is the Hornby Dublo 2 rail system under a different name. Some Wrenn rolling stock are fitted with HD style couplings, all can be converted by removing the tension lock couplings and fitting HD style ones. So you can mix Wrenn with Hornby Dublo 2 rail rolling stock. The one thing I can think of is to watch out for 3 rail HD rolling stock getting mixed with the 2 rail, the 3 rail rolling stock wheels and axels are not insulated so can short out 2 rail systems.

Hi Are we talking of the three rail HD or the old two rail HD or new two rail HD?

Hii Having watched the Hornby series on yesterday, until the sound files contain the Loco going at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 100 mph will they sound right. The amount of steam used at the cylinders to start a train is totally different to the amount used when moving at speed. Having see real locos running and listening to them, the model sound fitted ones today are wrong sounding when moving at speed. I prefer my old Triang Hornby Hall with its scrap box and Mainline Royal Scot with its battery hiss box, with these the noise from these change when going faster.

If it was me I would try and get hold of the Ramsey Model Train Catalogue as compiled by Pat Hammond latest version. I use edition 8 parts 1 & 2 at present It gives a more realistic guide to what things are worth, allowing a little extra for inflation.

Hi sorry very little new stuff has the power to run Hornby Dublo. Best suggestion is look for a H&M Duette or clipper. Other may suggest a more modernish controller.

Hi As someone with an interest in Pullman Trains and their make up, my question is where are the parlour cars. An express train would only have 2 kitchen cars in its make up the rest being parlour cars of 1st and 2nd class. All three currently being offered are kitchen cars as well as the two brake cars.

Hi Ken Good point but the pony truck and rear bogies are still live, or mine are being all metal in their construction. Some of the early versions of the R54 had a moulded cow catcher on the front of the body so had no coupling on the pony truck, another one I have has a cow catcher as an attachment on the front pony truck over the coupling, some have working front lights other don't, I think at least one I have got has a working smoke unit. My wish would be Hornby sell their wheel sets as a 12 pack not as a 10 pack, that way you can do three bogie cars not two and a half as well as doing them in 36 inch. Would the 36 inch wheel sets fit the R633 freightliner flats ok or are they smaller as I would like to replace the plastic wheels and axels with metal wheels on mine wagons.?

Hi Al They were made between 1979 till 1991. An interesting point the brown seat units was made from 79 to 85, the white table seat units were made from 86 to 91.

Hi Just gone slightly mad and brought myself another Wrenn Brighton Bell and the 3 coaches to go with it they being Audrey Vera and car 86 all with white tables. In view that I have all four named Kitchen first cars with white tables now I might run it as a preserved 6 Belle special, the two motor brake parlour cars 90 and 91 with Audrey, Doris, Hazel and Vera, or as a normal 5 belle unit.

Hi Ken, Great information again, however if my memory is correct the left hand side of the R54 loco is the return so it would not matter if you put an non insulated wheel on the pony or bogie on the left hand side. I know the return switched sides so provided the insulated wheels are on the same side as the insulated locomotive wheels there should not be an issue or am I forgetting something? I have 7 R54 locos 5 early versions and 2 with the LNER A1/3 type 8 wheel tenders. As the chassis is a standard Tri-ang type it was used on the Princess class locos Elizabeth, Victoria and Princess Royal and Britannia class, Britannia and Iron Duke as well as R54

Hi Threelink Just gone through my GWR books, just inside of the Slough to Windsor Branch Line book, there is a posed photo of the Royal train of 1890 era showing 3x 1st class 6 wheel coaches with clerestory roofs as well as a 8 fixed wheel coach, a 8 wheel bogie coach, a 6 wheel with guard compartment coach all with clerestory roofs. Did see a distant photo of small coaches with clerestory roofs but could not see enough detail in branch lines of Buckinghamshire. Just brought two books on GWR coaches hope to able to help you further after they arrive.

Hi Ken, Great tip and method, will try it soon.

Hi I have a question. Did the model makers in years gone by get it right with movable rear bogies and today's makers got it wrong? or are today's right and yesteryears wrong? The reason I am asking that question I just again watched the video recording of the lifting of 35011 Steam Navigation's boiler and the removal of the trailing truck, the rear trailing truck has a pivot hole at the front end of its frame and at the rear end of the main frames has pivot spike. I understand there is a side to side control mechanism on the rear trailing truck, which helps guide the loco around bends. So that would indicate that on Merchant Navies the trailing truck could pivot. I wonder how many other locos rear bogie / truck pivot in real life? Do today's models need to reflect this?

Hi Al I am not a DCC person, just wondering have the lights been switched off or disabled through either the cv's being changed or not having a full chip installed? I think this is where a an electrical diagram would be handy for all the new models.

Hi Al Silly question do the switches move/work? could they control the directional lighting? Having read a number of write ups in the Hornby Mag where there were switches in the loco controlling the directional lights, cab lights etc.

Hi Rana According to the Ramsey 8th edition, the black snow wagon was made between 1976 and 1980 when OO was stopped being produced.